How to charge your iPad faster

Fast charging is a feature on many Android devices, allowing them to gain as much as 50 percent battery in 30 minutes. We have yet to see Apple officially bring much innovation in this space to the iPad and iPhone (hopefully we will later this year), however there are a couple of tricks you can use to charge your iPad faster…

Let’s look at a few ways to charge your iPad faster and in some cases using a couple of the tactics at the same time to speed up your charging even more.

Charge iPad faster by using the best power adapter

The first trick is to use the most powerful power adapter possible that’s safe to use. All new iPads include a 12W power adapter in the box, but depending on what model you have and when you purchased your iPad, it may have come with a 10W or 5W power adapter and may be able to utilize a more powerful adapter.

The 12.9-inch iPad Pro comes with a 12W power adapter, however its large 10,307 mAh battery capacity (30% larger than the 9.7-inch iPad Pro) can take a long time to charge up, especially when in use. For this model in particular you can use Apple’s 29, 61, or 87W USB-C Power Adapter to charge as fast as possible. Keep in mind you’ll need a USB-C to Lightning cable to fast charge with these options.

From left to right: Apple’s 87W USB-C Power Adapter, 12W USB Power Adapter, and 5W USB Power Adapter.

Apple shares in a support document that charging any other model of iPad along with iPhone’s should only be done with a computer USB-C port if using a USB-C to Lightning cable, not the higher powered adapters.

If you don’t have a 12.9-inch iPad Pro, check to make sure you are using a 12W power adapter by looking at the bottom of the brick. If you have a 10W or have been using the 5W power adapter that comes with iPhones and older iPad mini models, you can pick up an official Apple one up for about $15.

While it’s usually best to use Apple official chargers, Anker makes some quality options. They offer a 12W model with 2 USB ports for $9 on Amazon, it has 4.4/5 stars with over 1,000 reviews. They also sell a new model with 2 USB ports and 12W and a few extra features for $11, one with 4 USB ports and a USB-C port for $26, and a solid 5,000 mAh portable option for $30.

Charge iPad faster by turning on Airplane Mode

It isn’t always an option or convenient to turn on Airplane Mode, but if you can, this will also significantly shorten your charging time. If you’re not familiar with Airplane Mode follow along below:

1. From the Lock or Home screen swipe from the bottom of the screen up.
2. Tap on the airplane icon on the left hand side.
3. You’ll see the Airplane Mode icon in the top left hand part of your screen (status bar).

Note that you won’t receive email, messages, or have an internet connection as long as you leave Airplane Mode on. However, if you’re near another device, like your iPhone or Mac or can do without connectivity for a bit, you’ll charge up significantly faster.

When possible, using both the most powerful charging brick and Airplane Mode will speed up your charging times even more.

An alternative to using Airplane Mode to charge faster is powering your iPad off (after plugging it in). However, powering off your iPad may not be as convenient as Airplane Mode in many cases.

If you need to continue using your iPad and charge it as quickly as possible, turning down the display brightness, turning off location services, and background app refresh will all help.

For more help getting the most out of your Apple devices, check out our how to guide. Do you have any other ways you’ve discovered to charge your iPad faster? Share them in the comments below.